Blood Poison
by Alatariel1990
Summary: The fifth installment of the Blood Series. Alex and Jacob have lived in Seattle undisturbed until Alex's new case attracts the attention of unwanted visitors; Bella and Edward are back and with them a whole new kind of turmoil.
1. Drugged

**Chapter 01: Drugged**

Alex rubbed her tired eyes as she looked over the day's report. It was already late and the lamp on her desk had a light that she found very uncomfortable after a while.

"Still here, Swan?" She looked up when Detective Donovan approached her. He was somewhere in his mid- to late forties, she'd never bothered to ask. She'd decided long ago that she didn't particularly like him. He was a homicide detective and he tended to rub it under her nose. She didn't have the feeling that he did it deliberately, but he had a way of boasting about his cases that made Alex want to throttle him. She'd wanted to go into homicide, but she'd only gotten a position in the Narcotics and Vice Division. It wasn't too bad, she supposed. She had a certain amount of experience with drugs and drug abusers. At the age of nearly twenty-two Alex was very young for a detective, so she wasn't about to complain.

"Yes, Donovan, I'm still here," she replied in a bored voice, returning her attention to the report. "Some of us actually have work to do."

"Take my advice, yeah?" he said, sitting on the corner of her desk. "Don't lose yourself to the work. Don't you have a boyfriend to go home to?"

"I do," Alex simply replied. She wasn't in much of a hurry. Around this time Jacob was usually very busy with his studies. He'd just started working on his Master in Mechanical Engineering and he was throwing himself into it. He probably wouldn't even notice if she came home late.

"Then maybe you should go," Donovan suggested. "Gotta keep your man happy, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she raised her own at his statement. There wasn't much of a question about the role women played in his opinion.

"Why don't you trust me to know what makes my boyfriend happy better than you?" she shot back, getting annoyed.

"Fine," he relented, raising both hands in surrender. "Suit yourself, just trying to be friendly."

"Good night, Donovan," she said as he walked to the front door.

"Night, kiddo." He left, leaving her alone in the office.

She wrapped up her work about fifteen minutes later, unable to still concentrate on her work. Guess she'd just come into the office a bit earlier tomorrow morning. Alex always made sure that she turned in her reports on time and in perfect order. Her direct supervisor, Sergeant Parrish, had not been extremely thrilled at the idea of hiring someone as young and inexperienced as Alex. But Jocelyn Foster, partner of the law firm _Foster & Barker_ that Alex had worked for as a freelance divorce and insurance fraud investigator while going to the University of Washington, had put in a word in Alex's favor. Still, she didn't want to give him any reason to doubt her skills.

Her cell phone rang and she fished it out of the pocket of her coat, thinking that it might be Jacob wondering where she was. It was Charlie's name on the display.

"Hey, Charlie," she said, picking up, while pulling her coat closer against the cold wind of February.

"Hey, Lex, you still at work?" he asked with a knowing voice.

"Just heading home, actually," she replied with a laugh. Aside from wanting to give a hundred and thirty percent on the job, she was also a bit of a workaholic and Charlie knew that. He called her almost every evening around this time to catch up. Most of the time the call was fairly short, both having nothing new to say, but when one of them was on a new case they enjoyed just bouncing ideas off each other.

Alex had the suspicion that he was just glad that at least one of his charges had stayed in touch. Bella only ever called her father once a month at best and that had been while Alex still lived with Charlie. She had no idea if he still got any calls from his daughter at all.

"Anything new on your case?" he asked.

Alex and her team had been moving in on a drug cartel that was supplying local dealers. "Oh, yeah, we got real close and then the state police swooped in, took all our hard work and got the credit for it."

"Typical," Charlie sighed.

"Yeah well, I guess it doesn't matter as long as the drugs are taken off the street." That was a blatant lie. Alex had spent hours on the case, doing surveillance and intelligence gathering, tapping into all her favors on the streets.

"Yeah, right," Charlie said sarcastically. "How's Jake?"

"Studying hard," Alex answered. "I'll probably come home to find him sleeping on a stack of books again."

Charlie laughed. "He's a good kid. Always trying to do his best."

"Yeah, he is," Alex agreed, smiling to herself. They'd celebrated the fourth anniversary of their relationship one and a half months ago and she still loved him as much as in the beginning.

They talked for a few more minutes as Alex walked along the streets, back to the apartment she shared with Jacob. "Say hello to Sue for me, yeah?" Alex said when their phone call came to an end. "And Seth, when you see him. Tell him to call me." Seth had enrolled at the Peninsula College in Port Angeles after he'd finished High School so he was home only on the weekends. But that wasn't an excuse for not calling anymore.

Sue had moved to Forks to live with Charlie in September, something Alex was very glad about. She didn't want Charlie to live all alone. She didn't know if they were planning on ever getting married, but she'd gotten the impression that they preferred the domestic partnership they were living in now. Something Alex could definitely understand. She wasn't too big on the whole marriage idea either.

"I'll tell him," Charlie chuckled.

"Tattoo it on his forehead if you have to."

"Will do," Charlie assured with a chuckle. "Alright, good night, Lex."

"Good night, Charlie," she replied, shutting her phone when they were disconnected.

She took a deep breath of the cold night air. It had snowed the previous weekend, but most of the snow had melted away again. Walking down the street, her heels clicking on the asphalt, she nearly missed the low groaning sound.

Alex halted in her tracks, looking around. Her gaze fell onto the mouth of a little side-street. There was another groan, sounding very human, and it was definitely coming from there. She walked to the corner of the street, trying to see down the narrow path, but there were no street lamps down the alley and everything was dark. Unfortunately she didn't have a flash light with her. She shook her head at herself. In High School she'd always had a flash light in her handbag. And a pepper spray.

Someone whimpered and Alex sighed, deciding that she was going to have to risk it. She still had some Muay Thai moves up her sleeve if she needed it.

Maneuvering around the garbage cans that nearly sealed off the entrance, she walked slowly into the dark, letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light.

She gasped when she saw a person lying on the floor. Running over she checked him over. It was a young man, somewhere in his late teens or early twenties, Caucasian, with brown, short hair. She couldn't see any wounds. Maybe he was drunk or high. There was a fresh pool of sick a few feet away and his heart rate and temperature were way up, which spoke of a hallucinogenic toxidrome, meaning the most frequent drugs in question would be amphetamines, cocaine and angel dust.

She grabbed her phone again and called an ambulance, checking his pockets for identification as she did so. She pulled out his wallet and flipped it open. His driver's license said that his name was Brad Wilkins, sixteen years old. There were fifty dollars in his wallet so whatever had happened it hadn't been a robbery.

Alex could hear the sirens of the ambulance, so she ran back to the entrance of the alley so they could see her. She led the paramedics to Brad Wilkins and they loaded him onto a stretcher. Once they were back at the well-lighted main road Alex quickly pulled up one eye-lid. His pupils were dilated, which meant that he was probably under the influence of drugs. Maybe an overdose had landed him in that alley.

"I'll come by the hospital to check on him tomorrow," Alex informed the paramedics, handing one of them her card in case there was any emergency. She supposed she could talk to Brad. Maybe she could get him to give her the name of his dealer. After the ordeal with the state police this morning, she really could use an arrest to get her spirits up again. For Brad's sake she hoped he hadn't taken too much of whatever drug he was on. Alex watched as the ambulance sped down the road before continuing home.

Like she'd expected, Jacob was sitting at the kitchen table, his head resting on top of a book and a pile of notes from his classes, snoring softly. Smiling, she sat down on the chair beside him and combed through his hair with her fingers. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, obviously reluctant to open them. Alex leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"The bed's a lot more comfortable, you know?" she said softly.

"I don't actually plan on falling asleep," he countered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. His gaze fell on the display on the oven, flashing the time in bright green numbers. "You're later than usual," he noted, closing his book, _Advanced Engineering Mathematics_, by _K.A. Stroud_.

"Yeah, there was an incident." She got up to warm up the spaghetti sauce Jacob had made.

"Incident?"

"Some kid took an overdose. I found him in an alley on the way here. I had to wait for the ambulance to get there."

"Is he alright?" Jacob wanted to know.

"I'll go to the hospital tomorrow and find out. If he swallowed it he's got a good chance if they pump out his stomach. If he wakes up again I might be able to get on a new case."

"What's with your old case? The drug cartel?"

"State police took over," Alex grumbled. There was no point in trying to lie to Jacob the way she'd tried with Charlie. If Charlie hadn't believed her over the phone, Jacob would definitely not buy it when she told him straight to his face.

He got up and put his arms around her. Without hesitation she leaned back against his broad chest, savoring in his warmth. Her skin was still chilled from the freezing air outside and Jacob's unnaturally high body temperature was exactly what she needed at that moment.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm sorry to hear that," he admitted, making Alex laugh. He hated her going after criminal organizations. Where there was money and drugs involved, there were also a lot of guns.

"I can take care of myself, you know," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I know," he said, burying his face in her curls. "Doesn't mean you're bulletproof."

_Fair enough_, Alex thought. The pasta sauce was heated up and so were the spaghetti. Jacob reached over to the cabinet and easily pulled out a plate without moving away an inch from his current position. The hand that had been on her waist moved to her stomach, sneaking under her shirt, his thumb drawing small circles on her skin.

She turned around in his arms once he'd set down the plate on the counter, wrapping her own arms around his neck and looking up into his dark brown eyes. He looked tired as hell.

"Why don't you go on to bed?" she asked. "I'll join you once I'm done out here." Her evening probably wouldn't go much longer either.

"What guy can go to bed when he's got a hot blonde in his kitchen?" he asked, smirking at her. Before she had a chance to reply he crushed his lips to hers in a deep, passionate kiss.

"Jake," she scolded when they pulled apart. "I hate it when you start things you can't finish." It wasn't like he didn't want to, but particularly with exams coming up he was always too damn tired. Alex didn't mind. She wanted him to achieve his goals and currently Jacob was top of his class, which made him insanely proud – and his father as well. It was worth the frustration. Most of the time.

He sighed and let her go so she could grab her dinner. "I promise I'll finish after exams."

Alex had no doubt that he would stay true to his word. Jacob was a natural when it came to pleasuring her.

There had been times when she'd been worried that being the only woman Jacob had ever been with would cause a rift in their relationship eventually, but he'd assured her that he didn't need to sleep with a hundred women to know she was the only one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She'd been very thorough in pleasuring him that night.

With a sigh she leaned against his chest, her head resting against his shoulder. She felt completely drained. Jacob put his arms around her, holding her tight, his warmth making her sleepy and sluggish.

"Didn't you want to eat?" he asked after a few minutes of just holding each other silently.

"I did," Alex answered, but her appetite was gone. Suddenly she wasn't sure if she'd even be able to stay awake through dinner. Jacob had ways of making her relax with just a simple touch. All the tension and energy of the day had left her.

"Do you still want to eat?" he asked, grinning. She sighed with pleasure as his hands pushed up her shirt just a bit and his thumbs drew circles on the small of her back. It felt so good.

"No," she finally decided.

Together they headed into the bathroom and got ready for bed. With a sigh Alex walked over to their bed. After brushing her teeth and taking a shower she felt awake again. She probably could have gone back out into the kitchen and eat something, but she didn't feel like having to brush her teeth again. Instead she looked forward to taking her time as she fell asleep in her boyfriend's arms.

Like she expected his arms wrapped around her the moment she laid down. She felt him burry his face in her wet curls at the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply.

"You spend too much time at the station," he decided and Alex chuckled.

"Someone has to earn the money for the rent," she replied. When they'd both been studying Jacob had had a job at a local auto repair shop, but when Alex had finished her Bachelor and joined the PD, they'd decided he should concentrate on his studies. She earned enough to make ends meet.

"I could get another job," he offered, but Alex shook her head, turning around in his arms to face him.

"I want you to focus on your studies," she said, giving him a kiss. "I'm sure your time to be the bread-earner will come soon enough." She felt him stiffen slightly, but he relaxed again, sighing deeply.

The last time the subject of children had come up had been shortly before they'd graduated from High School. To that day Alex had been the reluctant one and Jacob couldn't have been more eager to start a family of his own. But on that fateful day he'd lost his temper and phased without wanting to. He hadn't hurt anyone, but had gotten too close for his own liking. Alex had explained to him that she hadn't minded, that he'd just been protecting her, but ever since then Jacob wasn't as excited at the idea of having babies. He was worried that they'd have his werewolf genes, that they'd have to suffer through the same fate he'd had.

Personally Alex thought he was seeing things way too darkly. She didn't mind him being a werewolf. On the contrary, it had more benefits than drawbacks. At least from her point of view. What other man could possibly keep her warm even in the worst of blizzards when they lost power again? What other man could have kept her safe from the creatures she'd faced?

"Good night, Lex," he said, kissing her one last time and pulling her close against his chest as he rolled onto his back so her head settled on his shoulder.

"Good night, Jake," she said with a smile. It wasn't worth discussing the baby issue yet. Neither of them had come to a point in their life where children were an option. Jacob had to finish his Master degree and Alex had only just fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a detective. She wasn't about to jeopardize her career just yet. But in a few years she was going to have to sit him down and talk this through, because, someday, she really wanted to have his children…


	2. Nightshade

**Chapter 02: Nightshade**

Alex made her way to the hospital at noon the next day. She hoped the boy from last night had survived. Having grown up in the ghettos of Detroit she was well aware of the pull drugs had on the youth as well as the peer pressure that often came from those wannabe gangsters that had ruled the streets she'd come from. If you wanted to be cool the very least you had to do was smoke and drink. You did drugs when you wanted to rise in the ranks and you got to play with the big boys after you've stolen your older brother's gun for the first time. A juvie record in that world was like a Nobel Prize in the academic world. Alex had never understood why anyone would be proud of his crimes, she certainly wasn't proud about her own records.

She got out of the elevator on the third floor, not entirely surprised when Dr. Harris stood in front of it, already waiting for her. In his nearly thirty years as a doctor he'd seen more drug cases than anyone else Alex knew and she'd worked with him a few times before.

"Detective Swan, it's a pleasure to see you again," he said, holding out a hand to her.

"The pleasure's mine, though I do wish we could meet under different circumstances." She was very fond of the elderly man. He was compassionate and caring and he loved helping people. Sometimes Alex envied him for his job. Alex's work didn't generally begin until it was already too late for someone. She could only pray that she could close a case successfully before anyone else came to harm.

"Well, maybe you'll take me up on my coffee offer someday." He'd invited her to join him for a coffee in some café not far from the hospital where people could recite self-made poetry, but Alex wasn't a big fan of poetry.

"I sure hope I'll find the time someday," she said respectfully.

"I was told that you found young Mister Wilkins the other night," Dr. Harris said, leading her down the hall to one of the rooms.

"I did and I wanted to check up on him. Is he awake?"

"I'm afraid not," Dr. Harris said sadly. "We found a strange substance in his blood that we have yet to identify. It's not your standard drug, that's for sure. We tested for amphetamines, cocaine and phencyclidine, but no hits. Whatever it is, he took it in a high enough dose to send him into a coma."

"Damn," Alex hissed, looking through the open door into the room. She recognized the boy on the bed, surrounded by tubes and monitors. His parents were sitting beside his bed, his mother sobbing, his father trying to comfort her while fighting his own tears. Alex hated confronting the family. Lieutenant Greene had once told her that the day when she no longer cared was the day she had to quit. So far she was far from that day. "Would you send a sample to our lab for testing as well?"

"Of course," Dr. Harris said. "Could be something new though."

While there were standard drugs like coke and heroin that never seemed to go out of fashion, there were some drugs that came and went, usually accompanied with a heightened death toll, like the consumption of Angel's Trumpets in the late 1990s.

Toxicology tests were difficult and expensive and unless you knew what to look for there were millions of possibilities, making new drugs the Narcotics and Vice Division's worst nightmare.

"I hope not," Alex sighed. "Thank you Dr. Harris, you've been very helpful. Might I have a word with the parents before I go?"

"I suppose so." He pointed her into the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins, this is Detective Swan from the Narcotics and Vice Division. She was the one who found your son last night."

Mr. Wilkins got up and shook Alex's hand, thanking her for her help. "I truly wish I could have done more or gotten to him sooner," Alex said, looking at the boy. He was only sixteen. "Might I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course," Mr. Wilkins said, sitting down beside his wife again. She'd barely acknowledged Alex, keeping her focus on her boy.

"Do you happen to know where your son was last night or with whom he's been hanging around?"

"No, he just said he would meet some friends. We were a little worried when he didn't come home, but it wasn't the first time he was late and then the hospital called…" Mr. Wilkins choked up, unable to continue talking.

"Do you have the names of his friends?"

"Just some boys from his class. Justin Thompson, Andrew Ames and Sean Owens." Alex made her notes, deciding she would ask those boys about the drugs. However, it wasn't rare that people who started using drugs often started hanging out with new '_friends_', leaving the old ones behind. And parents didn't always know about it.

"Mr. Wilkins, has your son ever had a drug or alcohol problem?" She could see the oncoming outrage at her question, so she continued, "It's just a routine question, sir. I mean no offense."

Mr. Wilkins gave a huff, but answered anyway, "No, Brad has always been a very good boy."

"Thank you for your time." Alex got up, wished them a full and speedy recovery and left the room where Dr. Harris waited.

"Anything useful?"

"No, but parents are generally not a good source. I'll talk to those friends of his. Chances are they'll know a bit more."

They walked down the hall, back to the elevator. "How is Jake?" Dr. Harris asked. He'd never actually met her boyfriend before, but she'd talked about him a few times.

"He's fine. Still studying hard, still falling asleep on his books," she said with a smile. God, alone the mention of Jacob could lift her mood. It had been like that since she'd met him. He was her sun, the center of her universe and he always brightened her days.

"I remember those times," Dr. Harris said, smiling reminiscently. "How long have you been together now?"

"Four years, one month," Alex answered. _Sixteen days, thirteen hours and thirty-two minutes_, she added in her head with a discreet glance at her watch.

"And the boy hasn't proposed yet?" Dr. Harris asked in surprise. "I asked my wife after two years. Does he have relationship issues or something?"

"No, he doesn't," Alex laughed. "I'm afraid I'm the problem."

"Don't want to give up your independence?"

"Dr. Harris, I assure you, I've long since given up any false notion of independence." While Alex was very capable of living on her own, she wouldn't want to anymore. She couldn't imagine coming home to an empty apartment, sleeping in that bed all alone or eating breakfast on her own. Nor could she imagine any of those things with anyone other than Jacob. "I'm just not sure I'm marriage material."

"Four years with the same partner? I'm pretty sure you are."

Alex said goodbye to the doctor by the elevator. Her break was almost over so she had to get back to the station. Her partner, Joy Arlington, was probably waiting already. Technically they could have done this together, but Alex had wanted to come to the hospital alone. She felt personally involved, having found the boy.

"You're five minutes late," Joy informed her when she came back to the office.

"Really? I could have sworn it was ten," Alex replied, sitting down at her desk.

"So? How is the Wilkins kid?"

"He's in a coma." Joy groaned, letting her head drop onto the table top. "His parents say he was a good kid. No drugs. No alcohol."

"Course they'd say that," Joy snorted. "Hell, my parents never knew when I smoked a joint in my room. And those things have a pretty distinctive smell. They just don't want to see it." Joy was in her mid-thirties, tall and slender. Her skin was pale, her long hair a reddish auburn and her eyes an intense blue. All in all, she was very attractive. Unfortunately, the job as a detective didn't leave much time for dating so she was still single with the occasional weekend flirt. Alex was very glad that she'd already been in a relationship before joining the police force. That way at least she didn't have to worry about dying as an old spinster.

"The dad gave me a few names of school friends. I'm hoping they can tell us more." Alex got up and walked over to the coffee machine. She was on four to five cups a day, telling herself she'd start to cut back about every other day.

"I'll see what I can find on the names," Joy said, grabbing Alex's note pad and flipping to the page where she'd jotted down the names Mr. Wilkins had mentioned.

Alex walked back to her seat and took her cell phone out of her pocket, turning it on, she'd forgotten it this morning. She had two new messages. One from Charlie: _How r u? I'm fine. Seth says he'll call this weekend_. And one from Jacob: _Bored to death. Wish u were here. Luv u_. Alex snorted.

"What?" Joy asked.

"Jake's bored and tries to entertain himself with sending me messages," Alex answered, typing her reply: _Concentrate! Wish u were here 2. Luv u 2_.

Joy smiled almost wistfully. "Okay, I've got the addresses of all three boys. Andrew Ames and Justin Thompson seem clean, but Sean Owens has an older brother, Michael Owens, who's been caught with drugs more than once."

"Sounds like a good place to begin."

Her cell phone rang again, telling her Jacob had answered: _Don't want 2. 2 tired._ Alex had to laugh.

"Hey, Joy? You think I can leave early today?" Alex asked.

"Early? As in when every other normal person leaves?" she joked.

Alex gave her an annoyed look. People called her a workaholic, personally she thought of herself as _dedicated_.

"Okay, okay," Joy laughed. "We go talk to Sean Owens and after that you can go."

"Thanks Joy." Alex picked up her phone again and wrote to Jacob, _Be home early. Take the evening off. Let's have some fun_.

He wrote back almost instantly: _Can't wait_. Neither could she. Playing with herself wasn't nearly as much fun as playing with Jacob.

"Alright, let's go." Alex felt like she was in a bit of a hurry now.

"Do I wanna know?" Joy asked, grinning suggestively.

"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you."

They got into Joy's car and drove to the address of Sean Owens' home. It was a nice middle-class suburbia. Green lawns, white picket fences and each house looking exactly like the next. "I think I would get some serious depressions here," Alex noted.

They stopped in front of the Owens' house and got out, walking up to the front door and ringing the doorbell. After a minute or two a woman opened the door. She was probably somewhere in her late forties, early fifties, brown hair, brown eyes, average height.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Owens?" Joy asked and the woman nodded in affirmation. "I'm Detective Arlington, this is Detective Swan. We're here to talk to your son, Sean."

"Sean?" she asked perplexed. "Did he do something?"

"It's about a friend of his. Brad Wilkins. He's in the hospital with a drug overdose. We just wanted to know if he might know where Brad was last night and with whom."

Alex no longer paid attention to the conversation between Mrs. Owens and Joy. A movement in the corner of her eye had caught her attention. The neighboring house stood relatively close to the Owens', one of the windows of the upper floor facing the Owens' house. The movement she'd seen was in the reflection.

With a sigh she turned back to her partner. "Joy."

"I assure you, ma'am, we do not–"

"Joy!"

"What?"

"He's trying to escape," Alex informed her. The reflection in the window was still now, obviously Sean was either on the ground or almost.

"Damn," Joy hissed.

Alex started running, Joy right behind her. They came around the house just to see the boy jumping over the fence in the backyard. "You follow him, I'll go around!" Joy called out. She knew perfectly well that Alex was much better at running obstacle courses like this. The years she'd spent running parkour were really paying off in situations like this.

She ran toward the fence, putting one hand on top and jumping up sideways like she was going over a long hurdle. These simple speed vaults were her favorite.

Sean was running across the neighbor's yard and out onto the street. She followed him. The squealing of brakes was her only warning, but it came fast enough for her to jump and turn, landing on the hood of the car with her back, rolling off on the other side and landing on her feet. That was definitely going to leave a mark, but it was better than a pair of broken legs.

"Sorry," she called out to the stunned driver, already running after her target again. She spotted him down the road, climbing over a five-feet-high, chain-link fence between two houses. She was gaining on him while he had to climb the fence, but he was on the other side before she could grab him.

Using her momentum, she jumped, kicking off the wall to catapult her higher. With one hand on the top of the fence she managed to vault herself over, landing on the other side and rolling out of the fall to keep her legs from getting hurt.

She was very close now and all it now took was a spurt of energy and a tackle. Sean went down with a thud and a groan, Alex on top of him. "I didn't do anything," he yelled.

"We'll talk about what you didn't do at the station," Alex snapped, twisting his arms back to handcuff him. Why did people always feel like they had to run?

"Very impressive," Joy said out of breath, rounding the building from the other side.

"A lot of practice." Catching her breath she got up, pulling Sean up as she went. "Let's go, okay?"

The drive back was a little uncomfortable. She must have hit that car harder than she'd realized with the rush of adrenaline numbing any pain. Now that it wore off the pain in her back was steadily increasing. It didn't matter now, she had to finish up the job first.

"I didn't do anything," Sean repeated when they sat him down in the interrogation room.

"And that's why you fled?" Joy asked sarcastically, sitting down across from him, while Alex stood in a corner beside the two-way mirror.

"My brother's constantly in trouble with the cops, okay? I don't trust cops."

"Well, it's not about your brother. It's about your friend, Brad Wilkins. He was found unconscious in an alleyway. Drug overdose. Now he's in a coma, in a hospital. We just want to know where he was last night and with whom," Joy continued.

"No idea," Sean said stubbornly. He was clearly lying. "I want a lawyer." Alex sighed, having expected that. Joy leaned back in her chair.

"Fine," she said, getting up and walking out of the room, shooting Alex another glance.

Alex turned her attention to the boy, who was smirking at her confidently. "You got lucky," he informed her, meaning the capture.

She shrugged. "Luck's half the work." She pushed off the wall and took the chair Joy had abandoned. "We have a few minutes before your lawyer walks in here."

"I'm not saying anything."

"You don't have to," she said, shrugging again. "Hey, I wouldn't either if I was in your position. You probably could have walked in and out of here comfortably if you wouldn't have tried to run. Running makes people look suspicious."

"I didn't do anything," he repeated again.

"I never said you did." She leaned back, crossing her legs. "And even if you did, I honestly don't care." He looked at her with confusion. "I took this job to help kids like you, not to put them behind bars. I'm only interested in the people who put your friend in the hospital. Don't you want to see the people who put your friend in a coma come to justice?" She emphasized the word '_friend_', stressed the point that he'd been hurt.

Sean swallowed and shifted in his seat, no longer looking so sure of himself. "Once your lawyer is here, he will advise you to keep your mouth shut in order to save your own ass, but like I said, I'm not interested in your ass. But it'll make things harder to find the people responsible for Brad's state. There's a good chance he won't wake up anymore. How do you think his parents must be feeling now?"

Sean remained silent for a moment. "Okay," he sighed. "We went to this club a few times. We got in with some fake IDs. They sell some drug there. It's new and those who've used it say it's really good. But it's pretty expensive so I haven't tried it yet. I didn't go to the club last night, but Brad said he would. That's all I know, I swear."

"Can you give me the name of the club and the drug?"

"The club's called _Nightshade_. The drug's just called _V_."

"Thank you, Sean," Alex said, smiling. "This conversation never happened, I promise."


	3. Together

**Chapter 03: Together**

"So what did he say?" Joy asked once Alex came out of the interrogation room. They walked down the hall, back to their desks.

"He said that Brad was probably at a club called Nightshade. The drug he used is something new called V. Probably untested, definitely not in any databanks yet." Alex explained, leaning against the backrest of her chair and letting her head drop back, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well," Joy said, "at least now we have something to go with."

"Assuming Brad really did go to that club."

They remained silent for a few minutes. "You wanted to get off earlier today and spend some time with your boyfriend."

Alex nodded. "Tell Sean's lawyer he can take the kid home, we're not charging him with anything." Joy nodded.

"Have fun."

"I will." She got up, wincing as the bruise on her back ached from the movement. "Maybe."

* * *

Jacob flipped through the TV channels as he waited for Alex to come home. It had been a while since they had taken time off for themselves and he was looking forward to it very much.

He heard the key turn in the lock when she finally came home.

"Hey," she greeted him from the hall as she took off her coat and shoes. He closed his eyes as her scent drifted into the living room.

"Hey," he called back, turning the television off.

"Nothing good, huh?" she said as she walked in, coming towards him.

"Nothing that's worth missing out on this," he replied as she sat down on his lap, straddling his hips. He let his hands caress softly up her sides.

"Good answer," she practically purred, leaning in and kissing him passionately. Her hands tangled into his hair as they deepened the kiss. Four years and he still loved her like on that fateful New Year's Eve when he'd finally kissed her for the first time. And he still wanted her like he had then.

Pulling her tightly to his chest, he rolled to the side, laying her out on the couch and burying her under him. She moaned and he stopped immediately. That hadn't been a moan of pleasure. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, Jake, I just–" She shifted under him, wincing in pain. "Could you take your arms out from under me?" He did as she asked, which caused her more pain.

"Lex, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really, just a small bruise."

Jacob sighed. He knew her too well. _Nothing_ in Alex's vocabulary generally meant _something_ in everyone else's. He sat up. "Let me see."

Reluctantly she sat up, too. "This is not necessary. Jake, I'm fine. Honestly."

"Let me see," he insisted.

Defeated, she turned around and pulled off her shirt. There was a huge bruise forming on almost the entire left half of her back. "Could you please explain to me how this could happen?"

"We were trying to catch someone and I ran into a car," she said with a shrug.

"You ran into a car?" He repeated, stunned.

"I didn't see it coming so I had to throw myself on the hood. It's not as bad as it looks."

"Oh good, because it looks like a truck ran you over," he said dryly.

"Jake, come on." She turned around again, facing him. And he had to admit that her breasts, now clothed in only a semi-transparent bra, where a bit of a distraction. "We both knew my job holds certain risks."

"We did," he said, giving her a nod. "But that doesn't make it any easier."

She moved back to her earlier position, straddling his lap again, her hands cupping his face. "That's what I love about you. You've never tried to turn me into someone else. You let me be myself and find my own way, no matter what that meant for you."

"And I will continue to do so to the best of my abilities," Jacob said. "I love you for who you are. Particularly your dedication to helping others. It's very admirable."

She kissed him again and he almost got lost in the feeling of her lips moving so seamlessly against his. "I'm sorry I'm causing you all this worry."

He reached behind her to undo the clasp of her bra. She lowered her arms from his face, letting the material slip down to their legs. Her breathing instantly quickened. He leaned forward, sucking her left nipple into his mouth, making her gasp. Her hands clutched his hair almost painfully tight. He loved the fact that he still had such an effect on her after all these years.

Again Jacob turned them over onto the couch, gently so he wouldn't hurt her again. He felt Alex's hands move under his shirt, could feel her palms trailing over his abs, upwards to his chest, pushing his shirt up. A shiver of delight ran down his back at her touch. Sitting up, he pulled his shirt over his head, letting it drop to the floor before settling back on top of Alex, the touch of their bare skins almost searing hot.

Their lips joined again in a passionate kiss as they let their hands travel over the other's bodies, ridding each other of their jeans and underwear. Jacob was already painfully hard, but they rarely had time for themselves these days so he wanted to savor every second of it, delaying the end just a little longer.

Alex's cell phone rang from the floor. "Don't," Jacob said, but she grabbed it anyway.

"Could be important." She looked at the display to see who was calling her. "It's Charlie." Jacob sighed. Alex always answered Charlie's calls and if only to tell him that she couldn't talk right now.

She flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. "Hey Charlie." Deciding to tease her a bit, Jacob lowered his head back to her nipple, kissing, licking and sucking it, until Alex was biting her lower lip to keep from moaning into the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to know how you're doing." Charlie answered. Jacob moved lower along Alex's body, kissing down her stomach, over her hip and down her right thigh, moving to the inside on his way back up.

Alex squirmed under his touch, making him grin. "I'm pretty good. Got a new case and everything."

"Yeah? What's the case?" Charlie asked eagerly. He loved talking about work with his niece. There'd never been much to talk about between Charlie and Bella. Alex, on the other hand, had an equal love for her job and was a sports fanatic.

Alex gasped lightly as Jacob brushed his lips against her core, her body shuddering. "Mmh, not much yet. A kid's in a coma. There's some new drug called V…" her hand grabbed Jacob's hair again as he licked her vagina from the entrance up to the clitoris. At first she tried to pull him away, but her body developed a mind of its own as he continued teasing her and her hand pulled him even closer instead. "… We're gonna check out a nightclub a friend of the victim mentioned. Maybe some of my contacts know something about the drug."

"Am I calling at a bad time? You don't sound like you wanna talk right now." Charlie suddenly asked, sounding amused. Jacob snorted. There was no point in trying to fool Charlie.

"What? Oh, it's not…" Jacob thrust his tongue in and out of her. "_Oh shit._"

"Alex, are you alright?" Charlie asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh yeah, I'm good." She arched her back towards Jacob as he sucked lightly on her clit, simultaneously flicking his tongue over and around it. "_Very good._" Jacob nearly laughed. "I'm just home right now and attempting to cook. Jake should be home any moment and I want to surprise him. Burned myself, that's all." Jacob looked up to see her grinning. She looked down at him when he stopped his movements. Covering the mouthpiece of her phone, she hissed at him, "And what do you think you're doing? You still have some work to do."

"As you wish," he whispered back, burying his head back between her legs. He'd always enjoyed eating Alex out, at the very least because she'd return the favor in the very near future.

"You're cooking?" Charlie said aghast. "You wanna poison the poor boy?" This time Jacob really did have to stifle his laughter.

"I'll have you know that my cooking skills have much improved since Forks," Alex defended herself. "But, just in case, I have a ready-made meal in the oven."

Charlie laughed and Jacob chuckled quietly, turning his head to kiss the inside of her thigh. "Then I guess I'll leave you to your cooking. Be careful, okay?" Charlie said, still laughing.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow." Alex said.

"Alright, good night." Charlie hung up and Alex threw the cell phone back on the floor.

"Can we agree that next time Charlie calls, you keep those hands and tongue of yours to yourself until I'm done talking to him?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Jacob asked, grinning wolfishly as he moved up her body again, kissing her fiercely. Her legs wrapped around his hips, locking him in tight, her hands roaming over his back and shoulders.

He shifted a bit, finally sliding into her heat. They both moaned at the sensation of joining their bodies in this most intimate of ways. His body shuddered, more than ready for his release, but he held back. He did not want this to end so soon.

She met his slow, steady thrusts, moaning into the kiss. "Faster, Jake." He did as she wanted, moving faster.

"Oh God, Jake, I'm gonna come." Alex cried out, arching upwards against his body. He felt her walls clench around him and that was it. He couldn't hold on any longer. Her legs tightened around him as he came inside her.

Collapsing on top of her, he just lay there, his head resting in the crook of her neck, feeling Alex's hands caressing his back softly. "We should take time for ourselves more often," he noted, scooting to the side until Alex was between him and the back of the couch, rolling to her side to snuggle against him. With his free hand he pulled the thin blanket off the back of the couch where it was folded up and covered the both of them.

"Promise me to be more careful?" he asked, gently touching the bruise on her back.

"I'll promise to try," Alex replied and Jacob rolled his eyes. He supposed he couldn't ask for more. Alex wouldn't be the woman he loved if she didn't get herself in trouble regularly. He kissed her again.

"Thank you."

"You know, food doesn't actually sound so bad right now," Alex suddenly said. Like on cue her stomach started growling.

Chuckling, Jacob sat up. "Okay, but I'm cooking."

"I really did get better," she pouted.

"You have," he acknowledged, getting up and grabbing his jeans. "Now instead of an instant death the doctors have a chance to save your victims from the food poisoning." He jumped back as she leapt at him.

"You're a jerk, Jacob," she laughed, throwing her shirt at him. He caught it easily. Still laughing, he pulled on his jeans and went into the kitchen.

Deciding to go with a Mexican Frittata he let Alex whisk the eggs in a bowl while he cooked sliced onion, green pepper and chorizo sausage in a skillet while the oven preheated. He added potatoes one minute before the onions and pepper where done. He poured the eggs over the mixture in the skillet and put it all in the oven.

"I love a man who can cook," Alex said, coming up behind Jacob. He turned around to face her, wrapping his arms around her. She'd grabbed his shirt and it was the only thing she was wearing, which, admittedly, was quite the distraction.

"I love cooking for you," he replied, kissing her again.

"What did I do to deserve you?" She smiled at him happily. Jacob could think of a few reasons; the fact that she'd dealt with her drug-addicted mother for most of her life or that her father had known about Alex's existence and never gave a damn or that she now risked her life making other people's lives a little safer.

"No idea," he said instead, getting punched in the arm. It didn't hurt though.

"I deserve you because I put up with you."

"Ouch," he laughed. He turned around to take their food out of the oven, while Alex grabbed two plates out of the cupboard.

"Looks good," she noted, setting the plates down on the small kitchen table. There wasn't much room in their apartment, but it was cozy and homey, just the way Jacob liked it. It was definitely perfect for their first own home.

"I hope it tastes good, too."

They ate, talking about their day. Alex never minded listening to Jacob talk about his lectures or complain about the professors. He didn't mind listening to her ranting about Donovan, the Homicide Detective, who kept rubbing his position under her nose or how boring the paper work was. Alex preferred the field work. Jacob preferred knowing her safely behind her desk.

"Your cooking is definitely better than mine," Alex admitted as she put their empty dishes in the sink. He decided not to comment on that. Instead, he got up and walked over to her, hugging her from behind and pulling her against his chest. She automatically leaned back, her head resting against his shoulder. He nuzzled the side of her throat, inhaling the coconut scent of her shampoo.

"I hate it when you have so much work to do for your exams," she said quietly. "It's always like you're right there, but just out of my reach. I miss you."

His arms tightened around her slightly. He felt bad for always being so tired by the time she got home. "I'm sorry, honey."

"Don't be," she said, turning in his arms to face him. "In just a bit over a year, you'll be done with your Master. I'm proud of you, Jake." She kissed him softly. "You've come a long way since I first met you and I want you to pull this through." She gave him another kiss. "I can wait that much longer. I'll always wait for you."

He didn't wait for her to kiss him this time, but attacked her lips with his the moment she finished talking. She readily returned the kiss, her hands coming up to the back of his neck and threading into his hair. He was about to squeeze her back, but only just remembered the bruise there, letting his hands glide gently instead.

Just then the phone rang.

"Of course," Jacob said with a sigh, pulling back. Alex laughed and went into the living room, while Jacob began washing the dishes.

She came back a few minutes later, her expression dark. "Bad news?"

"That was Joy. Brad Wilkins is dead."


	4. Beau

**Chapter 04: Beau**

Jacob was watching the news while Alex was getting dressed in the bedroom. She'd been pretty down since her partner had called the other day to tell her that Brad Wilkins died. But Alex wouldn't be Alex if that would keep her from functioning. She'd immediately jumped into action, calling Lieutenant Greene to ask him for the phone number of someone called Beau. Jacob had no idea who that was, but she'd asked him if he could get on the next flight from Detroit to Seattle. She was going to go pick him up from the airport in half an hour.

The woman on the news channel just finished a report about a broken pipeline in Russia and went on with the next report about presidential candidates. Jacob stopped breathing when they showed the picture of an elderly man that he was all too familiar with. "It has been confirmed that Senator George Sexton is indeed running for President in November–" The screen went black. Jacob looked up to see Alex walking past the couch, dropping the remote beside him on the couch cushion.

"I think I'll head out now. I have no idea how traffic will be," she said. To anyone else it would have sounded casual, but Jacob could detect the icy note in her voice.

"Okay, I'll see you later then. " She didn't want to talk about it and he sure as hell wasn't going to kick that particular hornet's nest.

"Yeah, I'll see you," she replied, with a smile, leaned down and gave him a quick kiss.

Jacob sighed as Alex left the apartment, turning the television on again. The weather was apparently not going to change for the next few days.

He sat there, barely paying attention to the television, stewing in his anger. He couldn't believe that Sexton was seriously attempting to run for President. Jacob could only pray that he wouldn't win. He had no idea how it would affect Alex emotionally if she knew that the father who hadn't given a damn about her was sitting in the White House with all the luxuries, while his illegitimate daughter, for all he knew, was still struggling in the ghettos of Detroit. It had been barely half a year ago that Alex had tried confronting him, only to realize that she would hurt his entire family with her revelation about the affair he'd had with Miranda.

She'd grown up without a father and she didn't need him in her life, nor did she want him in her life. She'd grown up believing that her father probably hadn't even known of her existence. It had been devastating for her when she found out that he had indeed known. He'd funded Miranda in her attempt to fight for Alex's custody against Charlie. Not that it had mattered in the end.

He had the uncomfortable feeling that this wasn't the last he'd heard of George Sexton.

Beau's machine landed punctually so Alex was sure she wouldn't have to wait much longer for him to grab his luggage. Beau was one of the best sets of eyes and ears on the street of Detroit and he'd helped her out once before and Greene a few times. She probably could go to that nightclub herself, fish around an all and she probably would, but she knew that cops had a way of sticking out like sore thumbs. They'd know she was police and keep their mouths shut. Beau probably would have more luck with asking around on the streets.

People started filing out of the baggage claim area. She hadn't seen Beau in five years so when he came towards her she hardly recognized him. Not because he'd changed all that much – tall and gangly, blue eyes and still had the exact same haircut. But he wasn't as sickly thin anymore, his eyes clear and his pallor much healthier, too. He looked cleaner, more groomed and the clothes he wore definitely weren't second hand.

"Wow, Beau, you look great," Alex noted, taking him in.

"So do you," he replied, hugging her.

"You're gonna have to explain this to me," she said, motioning to his attire and all-in-all better look.

"Yeah, but not here," he said almost sheepishly. He shook his dirt blond hair out of his eyes and followed her back to the car.

"I couldn't get a hotel reservation until tomorrow noon, so you'll have to sleep on our couch tonight," she explained.

"That's fine," he said with a shrug. "That way I can meet your guy. I heard he's some fine eye candy."

"Yes, and all mine, so don't even think about it," she joked, smirking at him.

"Relax, Lex. I'm not here to steal your man. By the way, I'm going by my real name again."

"Your real name?" Alex asked. She'd asked him about it a few times, figuring that Beau could hardly be it, but he'd always been pretty secretive about it.

"Yeah, Jason Beaumont."

"Nice to meet you, Jason." He laughed at that. During the remainder of the drive Alex filled Jason in on her new case.

"So you want me to listen around? See if I can find out who's supplying the dealers with this V stuff?"

"Yes," Alex said with a nod. "Flush out the dealers, too, if you can, but the man behind it is the one we need. This drug is new and already there's a casualty. Maybe Wilkins wasn't the only one. This stuff is dangerous."

"Alright, I see what I can do, but please keep in mind that I'm not familiar with this city," Jason said.

"I know, but you're the only one I know I can trust."

She found a parking space in front of her apartment building and led him upstairs. Jacob was already waiting for them.

"You must be Jacob," Jason said, letting his eyes travel up and down Alex's boyfriend with much appreciation.

"And you must be Beau," Jacob replied, shaking Jason's hand. He clearly wasn't too certain yet what to do with this stranger. Generally Jacob wasn't really the jealous type, but Beau was someone from Alex's past who she hadn't really mentioned much, so Jacob had no way of knowing what Jason meant to her.

"Jason Beaumont," Jason corrected him.

"You've had a long travel, I assumed you might be hungry, so I cooked something. I hope you like lasagna." Jacob moved towards the kitchen.

"Hot ass _and_ he can cook," Jason whispered to Alex with something that sounded like a purr in his voice. "You really won the lottery, Lex." Alex watched as Jacob's shoulders tensed for a fraction of a second, having heard Jason just fine, but then he relaxed, his step a bit lighter again. There was obviously no threat to be expected from Jason.

"You have no idea, Jason," Alex said with a smile, following Jacob into the kitchen.

They sat down at the table, eating lasagna. "You have to tell me now, Jason. What's happened? Last time I saw you, you were selling yourself for a few bucks and drugs."

Jason smiled. "Yeah, the good old days." He leaned back, pushing his half-finished plate away from him. He'd taken a huge portion of food, just the way he had back then, but obviously he wasn't starved like then anymore. Old habits die hard. "It was one of my regulars, actually. I thought he just liked what I did for him, you know?" Alex nodded, though she preferred not knowing. Jason hadn't had the sort of life that Alex wanted to know many details about. "Then he started paying me to just spend time. And now I live with him in this huge apartment, got clean and even got a job," he finished.

"Wow," Alex said happily. If anyone deserved their Cinderella-fairytale ending – more or less – it was Jason. "I'm really happy for you. What's his name?"

"Dean Johnson. I swear he looks just like Jude Law. Talks like him, too. That British accent just turns me on like crazy." Alex tried to keep herself from laughing. Jason was on cloud nine that was for sure. Jacob, on the other hand, looked a little uncomfortable. He didn't mind homosexuals, he just didn't want details on their sex life and this conversation seemed to be heading down that road.

"How did you two meet?" Jason asked, maybe feeling the tension. He'd always been very sensitive to the feelings around him.

"Oh, we met while I was staying with my uncle in Forks those two months before I moved there for good," Alex answered.

"Yeah," Jacob continued, putting an arm around her. "She got herself involved in a case and I helped her out and we became friends."

"Then he made me wait ten months getting over someone else before he gave me a shot," Alex added.

"Not true," Jacob defended himself. "It was only seven months. Before that you didn't even know you liked me in that way." Jason laughed.

"Sounds like you two found each other. Careful Jake, Alex here has a way of getting herself in some pretty bad trouble. Last time I saw her she wanted information on a psycho killer."

"Really?" Jacob asked, sounding appropriately surprised. He wasn't. He'd been on the case with her. "Well, I kind of noticed the trouble thing."

"Can't be getting any better with being a cop either," Jason noted.

Jacob snorted. "Trust me, it's not." He earned a slap for that. So she wasn't exactly the type to sit around at home and knit, but she was very well aware of her capabilities and so far she'd only rarely been in seriously life threatening dangers. Course those occasions had been all the more dangerous. Thinking of the Demon Lord still gave her shivers and a nightmare or two every once in a while when she'd come across it in one of its many evil forms. The world, unfortunately, was full of its essence.

The evening went by pleasantly, Jacob and Jason sharing their many anecdotes at Alex's expense. She was fine with it though. Better telling jokes about her than reprimanding her for sticking her nose in other people's business.

Alex made the couch ready for Jason to sleep on before retreating with Jacob into the bedroom. She just managed to close the door behind her when she was hauled up into her lover's strong arms. A surprised squeak escaped her as he crossed the small room to their bed, dropping her on the mattress.

"Jake, I hope you're not getting any ideas in your head," she warned him. "There's someone sleeping just beyond that door."

"So?" he asked, pulling his shirt over his head, grinning at her broadly. "It just makes it so much more fun when we could get caught. Besides, your friend seems like the very open-minded sort."

Alex pulled up an eyebrow. That was something she should remember; invite guests for sleepovers if she wanted wild sex!

Smirking at him, she scrambled to her knees, pulling her own shirt off, then unclasping her bra. His eyes focused on her breasts, growing dark with want. He licked his lips.

_Hungry like the wolf_, Alex thought amused. Somewhat less amusing was when Jacob pulled his belt out of the loops, slowly. Just as slowly he opened his pants, letting them drop to the floor. There was already a sizeable bulge in his boxers and Alex felt herself getting excited. She knew so well what he could do to her body and the thought alone made her wet.

He came towards her, both their breathing becoming increasingly more erratic as he closed the distance. He climbed onto the bed, kneeling before her, pulling her into a fierce, hot kiss.

"You're terrible," she practically moaned.

"You've never complained before." He kissed down her throat as his hands made their way to the button of her jeans, opening them and pushing them down over her hips, along with her panties. Her body was tensed and shuddering with anticipation of what he would do with her.

"I didn't mean your technique," she replied, letting herself fall back onto the pillows, watching as Jacob pulled off her pants entirely, dropping them to the floor.

He moved up her body, kissing over her stomach, over her breasts, along her throat and jaw to her lips. "Good."

"You're still wearing too many clothes," she noticed, letting her hand trail over his clothed backside. She loved feeling the rock hard muscles underneath the hot, soft skin.

"I am," he agreed, sitting up again and dropping his boxers. He laid down on top of her again. His arms came around her as he kissed her and suddenly he flipped them over, so Alex was the one on top. "I want you to ride me."

Her stomach fluttered. She loved it when he talked to her like that. "I love to."

She didn't bother drawing it out anymore and just impaled herself on his erection. Alex bit down on her lip, trying to keep herself from moaning out loud. Jacob breathed in sharply, his hands automatically moving up her thighs to rest on her hips.

Alex began moving in slow, circular motions. She loved this position. She could feel every inch of him inside of her. He was so big her walls hugged him tightly. This gave her the greatest possible pleasure, Jacob, however, tended to come a little short with these particular movements.

She was climaxing fast. He'd had a point about it feeling even better when there was a danger of getting caught in the act. "Oh God, Jake," she hissed between clenched teeth as her orgasm ripped through her body. She wanted to scream out her ecstasy, but continued grinding her teeth together to keep silent instead.

"You look so beautiful when you orgasm," Jacob suddenly said, letting his hands caress over every reachable part of her upper body. He was still big and hard inside her. "I love watching you come."

She had to admit his words had a way of turning her on again instantly. "What about you?"

"Don't you worry about me," he said with a grin. "I have the full intention of finishing tonight. I just wanted to watch you first." He rolled them over again, so he was back on top of her, holding himself up on his elbows, looking down on her. His eyes were completely focused on her as he started sliding in and out of her in a steady, sensual rhythm, building them up ever so gradually. She watched the emotions play in his eyes; love, passion, lust. Jacob was the sort of person who didn't mind showing his feelings openly and he had incredibly expressive eyes. She could see almost everything in them.

She moved with his body, her skin sweaty, her breathing uneven. Jacob was the same, his pace quickening, becoming more irregular as he neared his own orgasm. She could feel herself getting closer, too.

"When you come I want you to keep looking at me. Don't close your eyes," he said and she nodded. She did as she was told, keeping her eyes open as she came. And it was worth it. When she came, he followed her and she could watch his eyes darken with pleasure, watch the powerful emotions she stirred in him. What a gift it was to see that!

He leaned down and kissed her deeply. "Thank you," she breathed between kisses.

He pulled back a bit. "For what?"

"Everything." It took her a moment but then she realized he was still hard between her legs. She smirked up at him.

"Just getting started, love," he grinned. "Ready for the next round?"

Was she ever!


	5. V

**Chapter 05: V**

"Saturday evening and you're still hanging around the office," Joy said, shaking her head at Alex.

"So are you," Alex noted.

"Yeah, but I don't have a cutie like Jake waiting at home."

"He's got an exam on Monday so he'll be studying all night," Alex explained, pulling on the almost see-through shirt she'd brought to the station.

Joy whistled approvingly. "That sure should get you some phone numbers."

"That's not why I'm going to that club," Alex reminded her. She'd never liked going to nightclubs. She just couldn't see the fun in drinking shot after shot till you pass out while dancing spasmodically to music that was way too loud.

"Then at least get some phone numbers for me," Joy said.

"Why don't you just come with me?"

"Can't. A friend of mine set me up on a blind date." She sighed, finishing packing her handbag. "I'm sure it'll be fun," she added sarcastically.

"Good luck then."

"You, too."

They split ways in the parking lot, Alex driving to the hotel where she'd set up Jason. He was already waiting out front and got into the car.

"Okay, so… when we go in that club, we're going separately," he said. He glanced at her attire, smiling broadly. "You could go naked and they'd still recognize you as a cop."

"Fine, separate entrances." She rolled her eyes at him.

"You ever think we'd end up here?" he suddenly asked.

"Where?"

"Here. You a cop, me, well… not hooking." He shrugged. "I just always thought I'd end up dead in some dumpster."

"That could still happen," Alex reminded him.

"You know what I mean."

Alex sighed. "Yeah, I do. I always thought I'd end up like my mother. I owe all of this to my uncle and Jake. I don't think I would have made it out of Detroit without them."

"And I've got Dean." Alex nodded.

"We were lucky." There were plenty of people who'd started out in their places and didn't have the luck to meet someone who'd put up the time and effort to turn their lives around. "Okay, listen, we're here strictly to find out what Brad Wilkins was doing the night before he died. If you suspect someone, don't accuse them. Don't let on you suspect. Don't pass go, don't collect two hundred dollars. You come directly to me. If you look nervous you will draw heat, so be careful. Don't accept any drinks from someone, don't leave your drink unattended. If someone offers you drugs, take them, but don't _take_ them. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, and I'll look both ways before I cross the street, I'll floss after every meal and I'll wear a sweater just in case it gets cold," Jason joked. "Relax, Alex, this is not my first time working with the cops. Besides, I'm clean now."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have responsibility for you then."

He laughed at that. "I'll be fine."

Alex sighed, pulling her car into a free parking spot two blocks away from the _Nightshade_.

"Give me a ten minute head-start, kay?" With that Jason got out of the car and walked towards the club. She supposed it had its advantages to work with someone who had experience with these sorts of operations, but she missed Jacob. Working cases with him had always been a lot more fun.

She waited the ten minutes that Jason had requested before she made her way to the club. The building was a former warehouse and didn't look like much from the outside. The only thing that alerted her to the club was the red neon name above the door.

Whoever owned the club had put a lot of money into making the walls soundproof, there was absolutely no noise when the door was shut. The inside looked expensive, too. A second floor balcony had been built all around the room that Alex was pretty sure had not been in the original warehouse. The bar was long and apparently well-stocked. The bass of the music was intense and Alex could feel it reverberating in her bones. The club was packed with people dancing, or sitting up on the balcony, drinking colorful cocktails.

She caught a glimpse of Jason at the far corner of the club, chatting up a young man. Alex had to smile. Somehow she had the feeling that the man had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into. Jason looked very flirty. Did he and Dean have an open relationship? Was this a '_What happens in Seattle…_' thing? Or was this just some harmless fun? Because it looked pretty serious.

Shrugging it off, Alex went over to the bar. If she looked cop then it was better if she left the customers to Jason and concentrated on the staff instead.

"Hey," she yelled over to the closest bartender. They all wore black, tight wife-beaters and she had to admit, at least the one closest to her was very attractive, with somewhat pale skin, short, dark blond hair and light, possibly blue eyes. He had big, well-rounded shoulders and a tribal tattoo on his bicep. Tattoos were something Alex always checked out first. Most gangs and criminal organizations had trademark motives to recognize members. His seemed to be harmless though. Or, at least, it wasn't anything she recognized.

He looked up at her, his eyes automatically sizing up her revealing attire. Grinning, he came over. "I admit you're by far the hottest cop who's come by this place since I've started working here."

"And may I ask when that was?" she asked, smiling back at him and taking a seat.

"Three years ago," he answered.

"Three years as a bartender?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bar top in front of her. "I'll have you know that this is a side job. I'm a photographer."

"Weddings?"

"Architecture and landscapes for magazines," he replied, still with that slightly lopsided smile. Up close he was even easier on the eyes. Thank God her relationship with Jacob was going so well.

"Anything I might have seen?"

"I've published a picture or two in the National Geographic, but it's mainly tour guides so far." He held out his hand to her. "Daniel Wheeler."

"Alex Swan," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Well, Alex, can I get you a drink?"

"I'm afraid I'm still on duty."

"Then what brings you here?" he wanted to know.

Alex pulled a picture of Brad Wilkins out of her purse, holding it up for him to see. "Was he here on Wednesday night?"

Daniel took the picture from her to look at it more closely under one of the spotlights that hung above the bar in regular intervals. "I think I might have seen him. He's here pretty often though, so it could have been another night, but I'm pretty sure it was Wednesday." He handed her the picture back, letting his fingers brush over hers in the process.

"Was there anyone with him?"

"Usually yes. Some friends of his. But not Wednesday. He came alone." Daniel said. "He's crushing on the Boss Lady so he usually hangs out around her when she's in the club."

"Did she return his attention?"

"Elena gets lots of attention. I have no idea what she returns to whom."

"Where can I find her?"

"Private booth," Daniel informed her, nodding towards the balcony. "Chain curtains. Can't miss it."

"Thank you."

Alex got off her chair and was about to leave when he called after her. "Hey, Alex!"

"Yeah?" she turned to face him again.

"Maybe when you're done for the day you could come back and have that drink."

"Yeah, maybe," she replied with a smile, knowing she wouldn't. In general Alex didn't much like leading men on. She was happy in her relationship and had no intention of jeopardizing it. Still, a flirt was almost, if not more effective than a threat and as long as she had work to do in this club it was useful to have someone who was willing to talk. Keeping it vague was the key.

Suddenly two arms found their way around her waist, pressing her to a broad chest. "You know for a woman in love, you're still awfully flirty," a familiar voice said into her ear. She had to grin.

"Well, a woman like me should always keep her options open."

"Is that so?" Jacob spun her around in his arms, so she could face him. Her arms snaked around his neck as they moved to the music.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Alex wanted to know.

Jacob shrugged. "We've never been to a club together and since I knew you'd come here tonight, I thought I'd drop by."

"What about your studies?"

He leaned down to give her a quick kiss that left her lips tingling. "I'll manage."

"You sure you're not just worried someone else might catch my eye?"

"Until now no, but after seeing you with that bartender…"

"I've found men are very willing to give up information to a woman who seems interested in them."

"True enough." He'd practically broken his pack's treaty once with Bella, though, in his defense, at the time he hadn't known the treaty to be real.

"I still have some work to do, but we could go back to this afterwards," Alex said, pulling out of the tight embrace a bit.

"Anything specific?"

"The owner, Elena." Alex informed him. "Daniel said Brad was crushing on her and was always around her."

"Daniel?"

"The bartender."

"Did you get his number, too?"

"I didn't ask for it." Jacob frowned. "Come on, Jake, you know you're my one and only."

"Yeah, but does he know that?"

"Don't you worry about me. I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself. Against humans at least. And I've got you for everything else." She gave him another kiss before making her way up the stairs to the balcony.

The chain curtains were easily spotted and they made their way over to that place. Alex stole a glance over the rail, trying to see where Jason was, but she couldn't find him amongst the crowd. Hopefully he was alright. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to him or he fell back into his old habits because of her.

"This is it," Alex said, pushing aside the chain curtains. The woman inside was probably in her early thirties, tall, slender, with long, brown locks, blue eyes and olive skin. She was quite beautiful, but Alex didn't much fancy the very low cleavage and the expertly pushed up breasts, nor the rose tattoo on her left one.

"Hi, my name is Alex Swan, I'm with the Seattle PD. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Alex announced to the woman, who looked a bit surprised that she'd been bothered in her alone-time.

"Please," Elena answered, nodding towards the free seats.

"Must be hard getting any work done around here," Alex noted, meaning the loud music. She sat down, Jacob taking the spot beside her.

"I've learned to tune out the distractions," Elena said, her eyes travelling up and down Jacob very approvingly. Alex suddenly had the urge to growl.

Remaining calm, she pulled out the photo of Brad Wilkins and handed it to the club owner. "He's cute," she said with a shrug, handing the picture back.

"His name is Brad Wilkins and he was here Wednesday night."

"I was very busy on Wednesday."

"So you haven't seen him?" Jacob asked.

"I meet a lot of people," she said, leaning back. "Most of them start looking the same after a while." Alex noticed the aversion of the question. That was usually a good sign that someone was lying. Unfortunately she could hardly prove it.

"Do you have any problem with drugs here?" Alex wanted to know.

"I run a clean club."

"Things happen," Alex said. "You mix hormones with booze…"

"Boys will be boys," Jacob finished.

"Yes," Elena said, suddenly tense. "They will." That was an odd reply. And something to dig into.

"Did Brad ever act up with anyone here? You?" Alex asked.

"As I said, I don't remember him."

"How about someone acting up with him? Lots of people would want something from a beautiful young man."

"You mean sexual predators?" she clarified. "If you could tell me how to spot them, I'd stop them, but… they hide in plain sight, don't they? My club is safe, Ms. Swan. Ask around, no one's ever come to harm here. Anything else?"

"I think we're done here," Jacob said, getting up. "Thank you."

Alex followed him out of the booth and they went back down and out into the street. It was quiet here and they could talk without having to shout.

"She's hiding something," Jacob said with certainty.

"Too bad it's not that tattoo."

"When did you become a prude?" he asked, grinning broadly.

"Five minutes ago." He laughed at that.

"Funny, that's when your case became interesting for me." He dodged her fist, smirking at her. "Come on, Alex, you know you're my one and only," he said, turning her own words against her. Maybe that's why they'd never gone to a club before.

"Alright, how do you know that she's hiding something?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Her heart started beating faster when she said she'd never met him. And the drug thing." That was interesting. So not only did she know Brad, but she was also aware of drugs being sold in her club. That, honestly, wasn't entirely surprising. Clubs and drugs had a way of going hand in hand.

"Oh, you're the best lie detector a girl can have," Alex said, kissing him on the cheek.

"What about you?"

"Well, she got a little edgy when you said '_boys will be boys_' and she used the term sexual predator not me."

"So?"

"So, it shows where her mind's at. It's interesting. She doesn't believe that it can happen to men." It wasn't difficult to figure out that Elena had made some bad experiences of her own.

"So do many others, that doesn't necessarily make her guilty."

"No, but the lies make her a suspect."

Alex sent Jacob back inside to find Jason so they could get going. When he came back Jason handed Alex a small vile with a plastic stopper. The fluid inside was clear and colorless.

"V," he explained, when Alex looked at him questioningly. "I got it off a young man. He's not a dealer," he added quickly, when Alex made a move to go back inside to arrest someone. "Just a user. I chatted him into giving me some. He couldn't tell me who the distributor is, though. Or he didn't want to."

"I suppose the lab can run some tests on this. See what it's made of. If this drug has been on the market before the chemical signature might lead us to the producer," Alex thought aloud. "Thanks, Jason."

"No problem." He was about to walk to the car, when he stopped. "Listen, I'm not an expert on the science behind drugs, but I do know a thing or two about their effects and the people who use them. This stuff," he said, pointing to the vile in Alex's hand, "is highly addictive from what I've heard around the club. You only take a drop or two at a time and it sounds pretty unstable. If I were you I'd check for other victims. I don't think Brad was the first. This stuff is lethal. Even if I was still into that kind of thing, I wouldn't touch that V stuff if it were the last drug on earth."

Alex turned to Jacob. "Mind if I take a rain-check on our party night? I want to bring this back to the station right away."

Jacob sighed, smiling at her. "I figured." The thing about being a cop was that the job never really ended. You could put the badge away, but the badge was not what made the cop. Jacob knew that. "Give me a lift home, though. I came with the bus."

Alex dropped Jason off at the hotel and Jacob back home before driving on to the pathology. She knew that Dr. Iris Hanson, the coroner, was still working. Alex wasn't entirely sure if that woman slept at all.

"You're pretty late," Iris said when Alex came into the morgue.

"Yeah, I wanted to drop this off," Alex said, pulling the vile with the drug out of her pocket and handing it to Iris.

"What is it?"

"Possibly the drug that killed Brad Wilkins," Alex answered. His body was conveniently lying on a metal table not far from them. Apparently Iris had been examining him. "I was hoping you could send it to the lab. Find out the composition, cross-reference it with the substance found in Mr. Wilkins–"

"And see if I can pull up any other cases that this relates to," Iris finished for Alex, smiling warmly. "You think he's not the first death."

"No," Alex sighed. "From what I've been told this drug is highly unstable and deadly if the dosage is only slightly off. I'm sure there are more."

"I'll get you a list," Iris said with a nod. "And I'll see if this has turned up anywhere else, too."

"Thanks Iris. Just call me when you're done."

Iris called Alex on Monday morning. She'd pulled all her resources to get the drug analyzed and the lists completed as quickly as possible. Alex was very grateful. Usually this kind of work required weeks.

"I sent a copy of the list to your office and one to your e-mail account," Iris said and Alex walked over to her laptop to check.

"Yeah, I've got it here."

"I've never seen anything like this Alex," Iris said with worry in her voice. "No plantal ingredients, nor any chemicals that I know. Though it's definitely an organic substance." Jacob had come out of the bathroom and was listening in on the conversation with a frown. "It shows very vague similarities with blood plasma and certain venoms, but if it is it's not from any animal I've ever heard of. It also has some retrovirus-like attributes."

"Thank you, Iris, you've been a huge help," Alex said, before hanging up.

She pulled up the e-mail to take a look at that list. "Shit," Jacob hissed. The drug could be found in cases about a month back, so far only in the Seattle area. One hundred and twenty-seven deaths, thirty-six comas.

"That is bad." The numbers were slightly decreasing over time, meaning whoever was behind it was adjusting the drug to cause less deaths, but it was pretty obvious that that person didn't give a damn about the lives that were lost in the testing. Alex didn't even want to know how many more deaths that hadn't been reported or investigated were due to V. "This has to be stopped. Fast. Before even more people die."


	6. Elena

**Chapter 06: Elena**

The results were very sobering as the week passed. So far the _Nightshade_ and its owner Elena Vega had a perfectly clean background. Jason was out on the streets asking around to find out who was behind the selling of the drugs, but somehow no one who bought them seemed to know the person behind it. Alex didn't understand how that was possible though. They must have looked the guy in the face. She'd questioned about ten guys who frequently used the drugs, advising them to stop before it was too late. She doubted it would do any good though. Within the week eleven more people had been found dead with V in their systems.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Jake," Alex said, rubbing over her face in frustration.

"I've got some free time on my hands now, so I could help, too," he suggested.

"You think you can find out more than nearly the whole police force of Seattle?" she said sarcastically.

"Well… no one on the police force is a werewolf," he reminded her with a smirk. That was true.

Alex sighed. "Thanks, Jake."

He pulled her against his side and kissed her temple. "We're gonna get this guy, Lex. No one's escaped the both of us. Hey, we managed to catch a ghost once."

She chuckled. "Yeah we did." She turned to put her head on his shoulder. "I miss us working together on cases. You were always the best partner."

"The only one you get to fuck when a stakeout gets too boring."

This time she really did have to laugh. "Yeah, that's one advantage." She kissed the side of his throat. "God Jake, over a hundred deaths in just a month. This is really bad."

"No kidding." He leaned back against the back of the couch, pulling Alex along, making her practically lie on his chest. "So, what do we have? Elena Vega knows drugs are sold at her club, she knew at least one of the victims, though that may be a coincidence. You think she knows V? Maybe even the person behind it?"

"You don't think she's the one behind it?" Alex asked.

"She seems like a smart business woman. She'll know if something's worth investing in, but she doesn't strike me as the sort who played with a chemical set as a kid and whoever's making this drug created something no one's ever seen before."

"And it's not because you just happen to like her tattoo?"

"I like your tattoo better," he replied. "I prefer butterflies to roses." He nuzzled her hair, kissing the top of her head. "What about a cartel?"

"More than one person?" Alex thought about it for a moment then shook her head. "The area of distribution is too small. A cartel has a huge turf, but this drug barely covers a fourth of the city."

"I suppose that's a small light at the end of the tunnel," Jacob said. "At least we only have to look for one person."

"Maybe, but finding a cartel is easier than a single person." The only problem with cartels was getting to the organization's boss. He usually kept his hands clean so no one could pin anything on him.

"Still, you should talk to Tony. Just to be on the safe side." Tony Alvarez was Alex's informant with the Tijuana cartel. If anyone knew if there was a new organization in town it was definitely Tony.

"Yeah, I guess I could call him." She didn't really want to. Any communication with Tony heightened the risk that she'd be fishing him out of Lake Union with a bullet in his head.

"How about forgetting this for the rest of the evening? Tomorrow's a new day full of hours in which to break your beautiful head over the case."

"You make that sound like I can just flip a switch," Alex replied with a snort.

"I happen to know a switch," he said in a sultry voice.

"Do you?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Yes," he replied, his hand stroking her thigh up and down slowly.

"May I ask what you'd intend to do to keep my mind off things?"

"Well," he started grinning broadly. "I'd start out sucking on that spot behind your ear that makes you purr like a cat and work my way down to your breast, taking your full, hard nipple into my mouth, tasting the salty flavor of your skin." She wished he would move his hand to someplace more intimate, because she was starting to get excited by his words.

"My hand would slowly move up the inside of your thigh," he continued, his hand making the movement he was implying. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation, but his hand stopped before he reached the place where she was starting to throb for him, moving away again. "I'd enter you with two fingers, feeling how wet you'd be for me already, while making your breasts feel good." Alex was gasping for breath by now, her body shuddering.

"Then I'd kiss down your stomach until I get a taste of you. I love exploring you. With my tongue. Licking those soft, moist folds and then concentrating on that sweet, little center point. Licking, sucking, until–"

He didn't have a chance to finish his fantasy as Alex practically jumped him. "Get me out of these clothes, now," she ordered. Her whole body was humming with the need to be touched. A glance down at his crotch told her that his plan had had a certain side effect on him, too.

"As you wish." She was naked before she even got her head around him undressing her. He was still gentle with the bruise on her back though it didn't hurt quite as badly anymore.

His clothes followed hers within moments and he picked her up. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist while her hands roamed over every part of him she could reach. His hands moved from her back to her butt, squeezing gently.

"Jake," she said breathily, her voice shaking with need.

"Bedroom," he replied with a husky voice.

"No, too far." She was pressed against the wall the next second as he shoved his erection deep into her. They both moaned loudly.

"God, Alex, you feel so good," Jacob groaned, sucking on that spot behind her ear, just like he'd said he would, while sliding in and out of her in fast, hard strokes.

She grabbed his face and pulled it to hers, engaging him in a deep kiss, their tongues moving in time with their hips. They both came together just a few pumps later.

"Now you can bring me to the bedroom," Alex panted.

Jacob laughed and retightened his grip on her before carrying her to their bed and just letting himself fall forward onto it, burying Alex underneath him.

"Thank you for distracting me," she said quietly. They just lay there, caressing each other, Jacob still on top of her. She loved the feeling of his weight pressing her into the mattress.

"Trust me, it was my pleasure," he chuckled.

"The best deals are the ones where everyone gets satisfied." And, God, was she satisfied! "Now if only I could find out who's behind V," she sighed.

Jacob groaned and rolled to the side onto his back. "Sometimes I really wish there was a switch with you."

"I'm sorry, Jake," she said, rolling onto her side and propping herself up on her elbow, looking down at him. He looked so gorgeous just after sex, his skin glistening with sweat, his hair all tousled and his eyes still burning with lust. "I make it difficult for you."

He sighed, smiling up at her. He reached up to push a strand of hair behind her ear. "I knew what I was getting myself into. You can never stop speaking for the victims."

"I'm just worried, Jake." She said, lying down with her head on his chest. "This person doesn't care about how many people are going to die. I just want this to end before he extends his territory and kills even more people."

"We'll find him," he assured her. "But not tonight."

"Hey Tony," Alex said, cradling her cell phone between her ear and shoulder as she thumbed through some files.

"Ay dios mio! Alex, do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep up this charade?"

"I know Tony and I'm sorry, but I really need some information. Are there any new players in town?"

Tony remained quiet for a while. "I don't think so. The El Salvadorians stay in California mostly, they do a job or two around here sometimes, other than that Seattle is Tijuana turf."

"So I don't have to keep an eye out for any new organizations?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but if I hear anything you're the first to know."

"Thank you Tony." She hung up, sighing. She'd known his answer already. She admitted to herself she was almost disappointed. If he'd said yes at least she'd have a lead to go on.

Putting her phone away she concentrated on the files. She still had a few reports to finish writing. She'd dragged out finishing her report on her last case just to annoy the State Police a bit for taking it from her.

"Nothing?" Joy asked, sipping her coffee.

"Nothing," Alex confirmed.

"Oh well, guess we had that figured. Listen, I questioned Wilkins's other friends as well as Sean Owens's big brother. Nothing there either. They all told me the same story. Fake IDs, Nightshade, Brad crushing on Elena Vega."

"Hm." Alex pulled out her phone again and redialed the last called number.

"Now what?" Tony snapped at her.

"Just one more question," Alex assured him. "Does the name Elena Vega mean something to you?"

"Elena Vega?" he asked, recognition lacing his voice. "That little puta is in town?"

"You don't sound like a fan," Alex noted. She couldn't quite hide her glee over finally hitting gold.

"She's Héctor Vega's sister. He's a big fish in the Gulf cartel," Tony informed her. The Tijuana cartel was rivals with the Gulf cartel, but the Gulf cartel was spread over the eastern half of the country so their war raged far away from Seattle. "She had a run-in with Alejandro Delgado in New York. Shot him in the head. Hasn't been heard from since." Alex whistled through her teeth in acknowledgement. Alejandro Delgado was one of the Tijuana cartel's main boosters. Elena was probably right there at the top of the Tijuana's hit list.

So she wasn't as innocent as her record led to believe. "Listen, Tony, I need you to keep this to yourself. At least for now. She's my only lead in my case. I need her alive for questioning." If Elena Vega had ties to a drug cartel, chances were she still worked with drugs.

Tony sighed. "If anyone finds out I knew and didn't say anything…"

"No one will find out, I promise."

Joy was grinning at Alex when she shut her phone again. "Alright, sounds like we're getting somewhere."

"Guess I'll be going to the club again."

"Want me to come with you this time?"

Alex thought about it. Joy was a great partner and Alex liked working with her, but if she had to choose she'd put her safety out in the field in Jacob's hands instead. And there was a chance they might have to stake out. "No, that's okay. You work on your love life."

"Urgh, if I ever agree to another blind date with one of Annabelle's straight friends, just shoot me and put me out of my misery."

"That bad, huh?"

"Like getting your teeth pulled at the dentist's. _Without_ anesthesia."

"Ouch." Alex had to grin. She used to go out on a lot of dates. Long term relationships had never been her strong suit. But for the last five years Jacob had occupied most of her life, four of which they'd been together. She admitted sometimes she missed it. Still, she wouldn't give up her relationship with Jacob for anything. Listening to Joy made her realize how lucky she was to have a guy waiting for her at home and that she didn't have to waste her time searching for _the one_. She'd already found him.

"What do you think about marriage, Joy?"

Joy choked on her coffee, coughing violently. "Oh my God, Jake popped the question! What did you say? Yes, I hope!"

"No, he didn't ask me," Alex clarified before any rumors spread around the station. "I just wondered about your general position on marriage."

Joy deflated again, sinking back into her chair. "I don't know. I suppose, if you've been in a relationship long enough, sure go ahead. I mean, take you and Jake for instance; you guys know each other, you live together, no secrets, no ugly surprises. It's the small things that ultimately tear you apart. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Can you drink out of the bottle or do you have to get a glass every time you want a drink? Can you walk through your house with your shoes on or do you have to take them off? Some people can compromise, but ultimately I say that marrying late is better than too soon."

"Necessary?"

"Hm." Joy thought about it. "You can grow old together without being married, but… I suppose there's a certain comfort in being bound to someone like that. Plus it has its advantages when it comes to kids, custody in the event of death, insurance, inheritance, making decisions in case someone hangs on life support… stuff like that."

Alex leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. What would she do if Jacob did ask her?

"Where's the interest coming from?" Joy wanted to know. "Is someone ready to take the next step?"

"I don't know," Alex answered honestly. She jumped up out of her chair. "I'll go for a walk. Do you want me to get you something from the bakery on the way back?"

"No, I'm good."

Alex made her way out of the police station and walked through the neighborhood to clear her mind. It wasn't exactly the first time she'd thought about marriage. Having been together so long with Jacob, it naturally made her think of this potential future.

She'd never been able to imagine herself as a wife, but if Jacob asked her how could she possibly say no? Would a marriage change their relationship? She'd met couples that had been together for ten years and more before getting married, only to get divorced a year or two later. They lived together, could there be any surprises left? Anything bad enough to tear them apart?

She had to get this out of her system. She needed to concentrate on her case. When that was done she could worry about her answer. Assuming Jacob eventually asked it.

She looked down at her watch, noticing that she'd been gone a little over two hours. "Shit." She was about half an hour away from the station so she hurried on her way back, almost jogging.

"Hey Lex," Joy greeted her when she entered their office. She was putting together their case files in a box.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, watching her as she put everything they'd worked on into that box.

Joy sighed. "The FBI showed up while you were gone," she said. "They're taking over the case."

"The FBI?" In a local drug case? That made no sense at all. "Tell me what you know."

"There were two agents. Looked pretty young, probably rookies. I swear they're getting younger all the time," she added, shaking her head. "He was tall, the pretty boy sort, pale, reddish-brown hair. She was quite beautiful, too, just as pale, long brown hair. Agents Tolliver and Neeson, that's how they introduced themselves."

A picture was swimming before Alex's mind's eye. A picture that stood on Charlie's fireplace mantle. "If they come back, don't give them anything. They're not Feds."


End file.
